Fall For Me?
by Sherestia
Summary: Hinata wanted Naruto. Naruto wanted Sakura. Sakura wanted envy and admiration. Sasuke thought he wanted Hinata. Hinata opted to join the game. A game of deception. Of who falls first, and who pretends better. "Would you fall for me?" AU&OOC.
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

**FALL FOR ME?**

SUMMARY: Hinata wanted Naruto. Naruto wanted Sakura. Sakura wanted envy and admiration. Sasuke thought he wanted Hinata. Hinata opted to join the game. A game of deception. Of who falls first, and who pretends better. "Would you fall for me?" AU&OOC.

 _ **Disclaimer: You know the drill.**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 1: PROLOGUE**

Naruto Uzumaki was all she could see.

Figuratively… and quite literally.

Her eyes blinked repeatedly, and a scent of pine needles and (was that mud?) washed over her. Blue eyes met lilac ones, their faces barely inches apart, and her heartbeat became quicker by each second passing by.

"Ack! Sorry!" He hastily got off her, and off the ground, leaving her red as a tomato and the air knocked out of her lungs.

" **Are you fine? Did I hurt you?"** he asked the seemingly unresponsive girl.

He panicked for a moment, "Oh god, I don't think she's breathing! I need to do CPR!"

The blood rushed to her head, and she quickly got up, "I-I'm f-f-fine!"

"Whew, really? Why didn't you say so?" he laughed, "I'm sorry, I was kinda running away from cleaning du– I mean, I was running home, 'cuz it's late and stuff, and you just happened to be there, and well…" he scratched the back of his head.

Hyuuga Hinata was still dizzy from everything happening. This boy… the boy she admired since her junior high days, the boy who was 80% of the reason why she chose to enter Konoha High, was actually _talking to her._

 _He was in front of her, looking at her. Smiling at her. Gazing at her. Naruto freakin' Uzumaki was here, with her!_

"Uhh, hello?" he waved his hand in front of her face, and she cursed herself for just opening her mouth and gaping at him like a fish.

"…" ' _I need to calm down. Kami-sama, please help me calm down.'_

"I feel like I've seen you before. Could you be…"

"…" ' _Hinata! It's me, Hinata! We've been classmates for three years at junior high!'_

"Ah! Aren't you Hinata? Hinata Hyuuga, right? Yeah, how's it going, Hinata-chan? You sure have changed a lot since junior high!" he good-naturedly put a hand on her shoulder in acknowledgement, but that seemed to just freeze up the girl more.

' _I… I think I'm gonna faint…'_

"Um, are you sure you're fine?"

"…" ' _I have lost my voice. That doesn't seem possible, but I've lost my voice!'_

"You seem a bit red. Do you need someone to walk you home?"

"…"

"Or to the clinic?"

She vigorously shook her head no, and then wanted the ground to literally open and swallow her whole because _'Ahhhh, what have I done?! I take it back, I take it back! Walk me home!'_

"Okaaay, then. I'll be seeing you around. Jaa ne, Hinata!"

' _Hinata Hyuuga, why are you such a failure?'_

She laid back down on the ground, gazing at the yellowing sky. Great start to a great school year, she thought.

All her life she had admired the goofy blonde-haired kid. She wondered if it was possible for them to be friends… to get to know each other… to hang out… and maybe be something more?

She blushed at the thought and covered her beet-red face with both her hands.

' _That's impossible. This is impossible. I'm impossible.'_

Unknowingly to her, someone had witnessed the entire scene altogether. That 'someone' innocently approached the girl lying down on the ground, and her green eyes shone brightly.

"Yo." She cheerfully stated, causing Hinata to peek through her fingers and stare at pink locks blowing in the wind. "What're you doing down there?"

She stooped down and smiled brightly, "My name's Haruno Sakura. I think we're from the same class. Would you like to be friends?"

And thus, it all began.

* * *

"Ne, Hinata-chan, do you happen to like someone?"

Pink blossoms fell around their surroundings.

"W-why would you ask that, Sakura-chan?"

Along with the oncoming breeze of cold air, Hyuuga Hinata thought how lucky she was to have someone like Haruno Sakura befriend her. So far, she was everything she wasn't, and wanted to be.

Kind, sweet, innocent, cheerful, beautiful, popular; Haruno Sakura was everyone's definition of perfection.

Her green eyes twinkled with mirth, "Oh, come on. Do you think I wouldn't notice you staring at a certain blonde-haired boy?" she slapped her shoulder a little bit harder than she meant, sending Hinata three steps forward with the impact.

"Oh my gosh, I'm sorry, **are you fine? Did I hurt you?** "

Hinata thinks an ugly blue stain might be marking her shoulder right now; but she doesn't mention it anyway.

"I-I'm fine, Haruno-san,"

Sakura corrected her, "Not Haruno-san; 'Sakura.' Sa-ku-ra."

Hinata smiled shyly, slightly nodding her head.

Sakura started to walk again, and looked at her from her peripheral view, "You should learn to be more subtle by the way, lest you let the whole school know."

Hinata blushed, "I w-was that o-obvious? D-do you think he noticed then?"

"Hmm…" she turned to look back at the shy girl who was hiding her face behind her fringe, "Nah, don't worry; I don't think so. He seems to be more dense than he looks. Come on, I'll treat you to some cake and you tell me all about him, 'kay?"

Hinata smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

She was so thankful to have Haruno Sakura befriend her.

* * *

Haruno Sakura had everything.

And still… she wanted more.

It was time, she decided. She smirked, leaning against the school's balcony and looking over the school grounds. She had everything perfectly timed; from the time _the girl_ would arrive, to what she would be witnessing, to the time _the boy_ would cross paths with her; it's going to be a spectacular show, and she's gonna live every moment of it.

She knew Hinata would stay late to help with cleaning duty, and she knew which route she would take to get to the front gate.

And now, all she had to do was wait.

Sakura saw him, the blonde-haired boy Hinata always talked about, busy with his phone and one hand in his pocket, going home from detention.

She didn't actually want the boy for herself, no. She didn't even care to remember his full name - the only thing that brought him to her attention was _none other than Hyuuga Hinata._

The way she talked about him, of him, for him… too bad she's gotten more curious than she'd like. So she wants to find out if it's worth it. If _he's_ worth it.

Sakura casually walked towards him, slowly, carefully, to the junction of the stairs where Hinata would be coming from, and then -

Hyuuga Hinata was so unlucky to have Haruno Sakura befriend her.

She scuffled her shoes against the gravel and looked at the scene unfolding right in front of her. She saw the two of them bump against each other, or rather, did Sakura intend to bump into him?

Hinata Hyuuga couldn't tell.

The phone fell from his hands onto the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't see you there." He said in that familiar voice of his, and scratched the back of his head.

Sakura reached down to pick it up. Green eyes slightly and briefly moving from where Hinata was hiding behind the shadows of a concrete wall, and back to him.

Hinata swore right then and there, Sakura just met her eyes.

"Same here, I was just kinda distracted, I guess." She replied in that soft, soft voice of hers.

Hinata saw how she handed his phone back, her fingers brushing against the palm of his hand – it was innocent, but daring and… longing?

' _Yearning. Craving.'_

Hinata Hyuuga couldn't tell.

She held his gaze. It felt like they had been staring at each other forever. Her heart ached.

"Ahaha, say, I get the feeling I've seen you from someplace else." He blushed.

"Well, you must've, dummy," Sakura lightly punched his right shoulder, almost, Hinata then dared to say, flirtingly, "We're from the same class. I'm Sakura. Haruno Sakura."

Hinata stilled her breath and flattened herself against the wall, unwilling to look but still hearing them talk.

"I'm Naruto Uzumaki." he hesitatingly stated, "I have to say I'm surprised I haven't noticed being classmates with someone as beautiful as you."

He was smiling. She could tell from how cheerful his voice sounded.

"Nice meeting you, Sakura-chan."

He was interested in Haruno Sakura. Not her, the girl who knew him first, the girl who loved him first, but Haruno Sakura; the girl _he just met_.

Hinata Hyuuga could tell.

* * *

She ran. And kept running, not caring where, not knowing where, though in the back her mind, something kept nagging her to go home and just screw it all.

She unsurprisingly ran into a wall.

She fell down; her eyesight was blurred, whether it was from the fall or from the tears, she couldn't tell.

And then the wall spoke; sounding rather irritated.

Uchiha Sasuke was a man of patience and composure; or so he'd like to think.

So when a girl, who was clearly running full speed, went and ahead and dared to _bump into him, full force, like some rabid, attention-seeking fangirl he liked to avoid on empty corridors such as this,_ he said the first thing a man of patience and composure was supposed to say.

"What the hell?"

She blinked, and looked more clearly at the _person_ she bumped into. Because walls are nice. And don't talk. _People,_ on the other hand, are just plain rude.

The boy wondered whether the girl on the ground was supposed to be glaring. Her glare didn't look like a glare; it looked more like a... blank stare. And it didn't help that her eyes were so light in color, it looked white.

' _Creepy.'_ He thought.

"S-sorry," she stuttered out.

He held out a hand to help her up, because _'Is she planning to stay that way all afternoon?'_ and Hinata forgot that people can be nice, too.

He had raven black hair, and matching black eyes. He was attractive.

She bet he got girls lining up to talk to him and wait to brush their fingers against his hand and sweep their hair shyly behind their ear while staring with eyes that clearly said _'Fuck me.'_

She never took his hand.

"I'm s-sorry," she got up and brushed the dirt off her skirt.

"Stop saying you're sorry."

"O-okay, s-sorry."

She was kinda annoying him. Heck, he didn't know why he was still talking to a girl who couldn't even form a coherent sentence.

" **Are you fine? Did I hurt you?"** he asked, just to make sure it wasn't his fault she was a stuttering mess.

And with that, she burst into tears.

"W-why d-do you p-people keep asking m-me that?! I'm f-fine! No, y-you didn't hurt m-me! Isn't that quite o-obvious yet?!"

The boy slightly backed off and stared at the girl, now crying, thinking of a way to get the hell away from there. He was never good with girls. And crying. And crying girls.

"Okay. Bye." He started to briskly walk past her, until she grabbed onto his sleeve.

"What?" he exasperatingly sighed.

She held on for a second longer, but she didn't know either, so she let go.

"N-nothing. Sorry."

' _The girl apologizes too much for her own good.'_

She walked away, towards the opposite end of the corridor, and he stared at her retreating form until she turned left into the other side, away from him, but not his conscience.

* * *

 ** _A/N: I'm just getting back to writing after a loooooooong period of time._**


	2. Chapter 2: Vague

**FALL FOR ME?**

SUMMARY: Hinata wanted Naruto. Naruto wanted Sakura. Sakura wanted envy and admiration. Sasuke thought he wanted Hinata. Hinata opted to join the game. A game of deception. Of who falls first, and who pretends better. "Would you fall for me?" AU&OOC.

 _ **Disclaimer: Yeah, yeah.**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 2: VAGUE**

Hinata observed, from above, two people.

Uzumaki Naruto. He looked good today. But doesn't he always?

She swirled the cup of hot chocolate in a paper cup.

Haruno Sakura. There was something not quite right with her.

' _She's my friend. Stop jumping to conclusions.'_

She sipped her drink; to soothe her nerves and calm her mind.

"Really? Lemme see," the excited voice of Naruto floated up towards her, when apparently, Sakura showed him something funny on her phone. Hinata couldn't see.

Something was definitely off with Haruno Sakura. Was it the way she talked? The way she laughed?

' _The way she's like when she's with Naruto?'_

She shook her head. They continued to talk some more; about what, Hinata couldn't hear.

Not that it mattered. After all, Hinata didn't exist in their world.

' _Currently. But I'm sure we could all be friends together one day.'_

"Haha! Naruto, you're so funny!" Sakura exclaimed.

The hot chocolate slightly spilled when Hinata swished the liquid too fast. There was only a little left now.

' _If destiny is real…'_

A devious thought entered her mind. And it was very odd, since devious thoughts don't normally invade Hinata Hyuuga's mind.

She slowly extended her hand, gripping the cup of warm chocolate, in the air, just above the locks of bubblegum pink hair. Her eyes wandered towards golden-blonde strands of hair.

'… _then I am destined to be with you.'_

"Hey, Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun! Class is starting! Come on!"

She tilted the cup.

It all happened in a flash. Or as cliché as the saying goes.

The liquid poured all the way down, and just when it was about to splatter on top of Sakura's head, she turned away.

But it did splash on something – Sakura's right sleeve.

' _What… am I doing?'_

The blue-haired girl turned away and hid, arms hugging her knees and eyes shut tight. Her heartbeat was so fast, she was afraid her heart was planning to run away from her ribcage.

Realization came first, and then the guilt. She felt horrible and disgusted with herself; like she was some jealous witch who came to bring bad fortune upon the happy princess and prince of some far, far away kingdom.

The paper cup lay forgotten on the floor, quite empty.

' _I wonder if Sakura noticed? I wonder if anyone noticed? Maybe… I'm overreacting a little too much? Hinata, get yourself together; you need to lighten up. She hasn't done anything wrong, has she? She's my friend. And she's just friends with Naruto-kun. That's all there is to it.'_

She convinced herself, and chanted the word _'Sorry'_ in her mind for as much as she could while running to class.

* * *

"Psst."

A small paper ball hit her on the back of her head. She blushed brightly.

' _I-isn't N-N-N-Naruto-kun behind me? I d-don't want to turn around, don't make me turn around, please please please don't make me turn around…'_

"Pssssst."

Another paper ball. The professor unknowingly continued with the lecture, writing something on the board.

She turned around, as little as she could, and as soon as their eyes met, she shied away.

' _Real smooth, Hinata. Surely, he thinks you're a weirdo by now.'_

Her eyes turned towards the folded piece of paper Naruto had in his hand, extended towards her.

Her eyes widened as she gingerly took the paper and quietly unfolded it.

' _ **Meet me at Ichiraku's at 8 PM'**_

Her mind went into overload. A series of continuous 'whats' and 'whys' and 'ohmygoshes' ran throughout her mind, kind of sending her brain into short-circuit.

She primly folded the note, and couldn't help the giddy smile slowly taking over her face.

* * *

She was there at 7.

He arrived at 8:30.

It was quite alright, Hinata convinced herself. An hour and a half wasn't very long – her excitement still hasn't faded away, no; and she never got bored.

' _I have to smile. Naturally.'_

"Hinata-chan! Sorry I'm late," he nervously approached her at the table.

She was worried of smiling too much.

"N-no, Naruto-kun; it's fine. I just got here myself."

It was true in some way, she thought; since she just only mentally got here, herself. The time before that, she kept worrying about whether her hair was nice enough, if her dress was nice enough, if her face was nice enough, if _she_ was nice enough.

"Well, that's a relief." He sat down, opposite from her, "What're you getting?"

Oh no. she did not prepare herself for this. She didn't know; she honestly doesn't know what the good stuff around here is; this is the first time she's been here, much less on a date.

' _D-D-D-DATE? Is this what this is?!'_

"U-um," she cleared her throat while he looked on expectedly.

' _Think, Hinata, THINK.'_

"I'll j-just get w-whatever you're h-h-having."

' _Safe. Calm yourself down, Hinata Hyuuga.'_

Naruto seemed fine with her response, and after asking a couple of 'are you sure's,' he went on to order two full bowls of ramen.

"S-So, you're probably wondering why I called you out here all of a sudden."

Did he just stutter? Hinata wondered, and he blushed - this was also the first time he blushed around her, she thought.

"Mmhmm." She replied, hands clasping and unclasping nervously under the rounded, mahogany table.

"Well, to tell you the truth, it's about S-"

What Naruto was about to say though, was instantly cut off by the chiming of the bells, signaling the door open to new customers.

Both heads turned to look, and lo and behold.

"Oh, Hinata-chan! Naruto-kun!" the cheery voice of Haruno Sakura called out as she waved her right hand.

' _She still hasn't changed out of her uniform yet?'_

Hinata thought quietly, and guiltily noted the small stain of chocolate on her sleeve.

Sakura wasn't alone though, they both realized; behind her, stood someone somehow familiar to Hinata Hyuuga.

Hinata's lilac orbs met obsidian black eyes, and they widened in recognition.

' _It's that boy,'_ she thought.

' _It's that girl,'_ he thought.

Hinata wondered for a fleeting moment who he was to Sakura. They seemed kind of close – no awkwardness was tangible.

' _Though that's already a given – Haruno Sakura was always a people-person, wasn't she?'_

So who was he? Sibling? Cousin? Friend?

He still hasn't broken eye contact yet.

' _Lover?'_

She was the first to look away, as the couple proceeded to sit down at another table quite distant from them.

"Who's that?" Naruto's voice broke her out of her reverie, and she noticed him somewhat… brooding? Was he mad at something?

She followed Naruto's line of sight, leading to, unsurprisingly, Sakura.

They were engaged in a conversation; Sakura and that boy.

' _The way she acts around boys…'_

Flirtatious laughing, flirtatious eyes, even the way she drinks water from a glass was flirtatious. It was a shame _that boy's_ back was turned to her – then she could've seen his reactions.

She crossed her legs delicately, then uncrossed them. Her hands rested on the table, fingernails clacking while they conversed.

She smiled; sweetly, delicately, and _then_ leaned forward to whisper something on his ear.

Hinata saw Naruto's gaze harden and realized what he was displeased at.

She bowed her head down and sadly smiled.

' _What am I getting my hopes up for?'_

Two bowls of ramen was set down on their table, and that was the only time Naruto changed his line of sight.

"Haha, it seems it was pointless that I called you out here, Hinata-chan. I'm sorry."

Naruto started eating, and his words rang in her ears.

' _It seems pointless, he said. This is pointless. I am pointless.'_

She felt an onslaught of tears coming her way. She hated herself; she was always weak like this.

She suddenly got up.

"I-I'm sorry, N-Naruto-kun," she was holding her phone, looking at a blank screen, "But I've j-just r-received an e-emergency t-text. I h-have t-to go."

Before the dumbfounded Naruto Uzumaki could even reply, she was out the door and into the cold night.

' _Lying always did make my stuttering worse.'_

* * *

"Good morning, Hinata-chan!"

Hinata sensed that there was something not quite right with Sakura.

She convinced herself enough; but Haruno Sakura wasn't as nice as people thought she was.

' _I need to go away.'_

"Uh, Hinata?"

She wasn't as pleasant.

Hinata slammed her locker shut and briskly walked away, but not before Sakura came up beside her, matching her pace.

"Hey, what's wrong?."

She wasn't as friendly.

"I-I'm s-sick. Y-you sh-should stay a-away f-from m-me f-for a-awhile." Lying makes her stuttering worse. Hinata knew that; thank Kami-sama Sakura doesn't.

"Hmm, are you sure? I could get you some water or maybe some meds from the clinic?"

She wasn't as kind.

"I-I'm f-fine."

' _Go away. Go away. Go away. Go away.'_

"But Hinata-" she grabbed her hand, leaving the girl no other choice but to look at her.

 _ **That was when she noticed.**_

"You look like hell, Hinata; what happened to you?"

' _The faint scent of tobacco and alcohol_ …'

"Was it… Naruto? You left him all alone last night."

' _Washed away with some perfume…'_

Hinata simply stared.

Sakura smiled, "Okay then, I'll leave you alone for a while. I'm helping Naruto-kun study in the library. I'll be there if you come looking for me."

She waved her right hand goodbye, walking past her, eyes looking at her with something akin to mirth.

'… _and the same stain of chocolate on her sleeve.'_

Haruno Sakura wasn't as innocent as people thought she was.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Second chapter - here you go! I hope you guys enjoyed reading, I had fun writing it. xD_**

 ** _BlackStellar: I have definitely decided on SasuHina. As for Sakura... We'll just see how it goes :3_**

 ** _HinaSasuChoAsu: Yup, you got it! :D although I'm trying to expand the story to make it just a little bit more complicated haha_**

 ** _TAYYABALARAIB: Here you go! :)_**

 ** _Hinarahyuchiha: Cute name you got! :D here it is then, i have updated the crap outa Fanfiction xD_**

 ** _Thank you for reading and reviewing! Please do continue to review, I'd like to know what you all think :D_**


	3. Chapter 3: Shatter

**FALL FOR ME?**

SUMMARY: Hinata wanted Naruto. Naruto wanted Sakura. Sakura wanted envy and admiration. Sasuke thought he wanted Hinata. Hinata opted to join the game. A game of deception. Of who falls first, and who pretends better. "Would you fall for me?" AU&OOC.

 _ **Disclaimer: Well if i did...**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 3: SHATTER**

"What are you doing?"

Haruno Sakura's back was facing him. Him; observing her through hazy eyes, head rested on his palm, and sporting a look of complete and utter indifference. She turned to slightly face him, and the dim lights flickering made her look almost… ethereal; at least to him at the moment, she is.

"You're awake."

"I thought you'd never notice."

The pink-haired girl smiled, she almost thought she honestly missed her conversations with the Uchiha boy.

"Why don't I ever see you study?" Sakura asked, as she turned back to flipping through her notes and highlighting almost every line in her book.

"Because I don't need to."

She hummed in response, and he continued staring at her, analyzing her. No words could fully describe Haruno Sakura. He knew who she was, what she does, what he is to her. The occasional fuck-buddy. Her amusement. The friend with benefits. He was just one of her many lovers.

He didn't mind, he thought. She was, after all, just the female counterpart of him.

' _Dishonest, cunning, and users of other people?'_

He slightly chuckled in his musings, still gaining no response from the girl. They both knew better than to be fooled and deceived.

"Come back to bed, Haruno. I'll leak you the answers for the quiz later."

She shared a funny look with him, as if saying _'as if.'_

"Okay, then. I'll humor you just this one time, Uchiha."

She walked back to bed, and climbed on top of him. Everything he saw was emerald green; the lustful look on her eyes as she softly peppered him with featherlight kisses. His eyes… his nose… his jaw… and then she whispered.

"Say my name, Sasuke-kun."

"Un. Sakura."

* * *

Haruno Sakura couldn't remember how it began. _When_ it began.

She was showered with appreciation every single day that it became a part of her daily routine. She passed the trash bin and stared at it, before dumping a bunch of silly love letters she was given this week.

' _Boys are so easy to manipulate.'_

Knowing what they want makes it easy to put them under her thumb. It was just either of the two, at the right timing. Act a little bit shy or a little bit bold; a little bit like a damsel-in-distress or a little bit like someone who doesn't need a knight in shining armor; a little bit innocent or a little bit wild; a little bit like _Hinata Hyuuga_ or a little bit like _Sakura Haruno._

She thought about Uzumaki Naruto,wondering why Hinata was so preoccupied with the boy.

His personality was nothing special. His actions were extremely predictable. He wasn't ugly, but he wasn't that good-looking either. He had sub-par intelligence. And she doubted Hinata's obsession with him stemmed from the fact that he was good in bed. Oh, and that, too. He acted like a kid in fourth grade who has a crush.

"Ohayo, Sakura-chan!" he called out to her in the hallways, and she rolled her eyes in annoyance, before facing him with a smile that said _'Naruto! I'm so happy to see you!'_

She waited until he caught up to her, but instead of walking with her, he just stood there in front of her.

"Ano… Could you meet me at the music room at 4? After classes? There's something I'd like to tell you." Sky-blue eyes shone with determination.

' _See? Predictable.'_

She tilted her head in pretentious ignorance, "About what, Naruto-kun?"

"Ahh, just be there. I'll be waiting! But even if you don't come… I'll still be waiting!" and after that he sped away, leaving her alone.

She didn't need to have Einstein's brain to figure out what he was going to tell her. So when she saw the _clueless, innocent and pure darling Hinata Hyuuga,_ she had a bright idea come to mind.

"Hi, Hinata-chan!" she approached her with a smile, and even slung an arm around her. Hinata looked iffy; she did in the past few days. But still, she has yet to demand a confrontation with her. She still doesn't act ill-mannered towards her. Nor was she deliberately pushing Sakura away, either.

"Hello, Sakura-san." She mumbled in greeting. She doesn't seem very pleased; Sakura thought.

"So listen, I have something really cool to show you. I promise, it would be _to die for._ "

It was a lie, obviously – something of Haruno Sakura's specialty.

"Oh. Is that so." Was Hinata's simple response. Sakura frowned. It would be such a waste if Hinata didn't go. She placed herself in front of Hinata and grabbed both her shoulders, convincingly.

"I know you haven't been in such a good mood these past few days – I also don't know why, either – "

At this, Hinata shot her a slightly off-put look.

"- so let me cheer you up. I'll play you something, alright? So meet me in the music room at 4, after classes. I'll be waiting, alright?" she smiled the sweetest smile she could muster. Kami-sama knows she did.

Hinata seemed to contemplate for a while, but eventually, she agreed; much to Haruno Sakura's joy.

* * *

Hinata didn't know what would happen. Why she decided on agreeing to meet Sakura, she also didn't know. Maybe she's subconsciously a masochist who doesn't realize it? She shook her head.

A lot of things have been plaguing her mind. A lot of… assumptions… about her _friend._ She wasn't even sure if she still really is her friend. She walked up to the fourth floor, into the empty corridor, towards the music room at the end of the hall.

She stopped walking when she heard _voices_. Her eyebrows met in confusion. Her left hand touched the wall, and she continued walking. She dragged her hand along the smooth, white wall; and kept her footsteps being heard to a minimum.

"- what I'm tryin' to say is!"

Her head jerked forward. She'd recognize that voice anywhere.

' _Why's Naruto here?'_

"-is that I like you, Sakura-chan!"

Hinata came to a complete halt.

' _What?'_

She ran the distance towards the door, but before she could make her presence known, she witnessed something unbearable.

Sakura Haruno was kissing Uzumaki Naruto.

The entire world froze for the raven-haired girl. Her hand gripped the wooden door's frame so much that her hand might bleed, her eyes were wide open in shock, the lavender color turning pale in the sun's rays entering the room. Her mind was a complete blank slate, and her expression contained nothing but confusion, disbelief, and… hurt.

Sakura broke away first, and covered her audible gasp with both hands when she saw her. Naruto soon noticed afterward, as he turned around to see Hinata Hyuuga standing at the doorway.

"Hinata…" he said, and blushed profusely afterward, wondering how much the girl had heard, or had seen.

"Um, I'll talk to you later, Sakura." He addressed Sakura, covering his pink-stained cheeks with his sleeves and running past the raven-haired girl.

He ran past her, paying her no attention. Thinking that Hinata was just someone who happened to come across them, and that it was embarrassing to let someone catch you while confessing to another. All those years of trying to make Naruto look her way, even spare so much as a glance, was useless. Hinata felt nothing.

She already had her suspicions that Naruto _liked_ Sakura; but hearing him finally say it, in front of her, and as a firsthand witness; seeing them _like that,_ her body and mind became numb.

Sakura tried to approach the crestfallen girl, "Hinata-chan,"

"Don't," she replied, "Don't come near me."

Surprise doesn't even describe what Sakura felt when she realized Hinata didn't stutter; not one bit. Silence enveloped the both of them.

She wouldn't cry. She refused to cry. Not in front of her, not for Haruno Sakura's satisfaction.

' _I'm such a big dummy.'_

She forced herself a bitter smile. She would never forget this. She would always remember how Sakura had called out to her… only to make a fool out of her. She treated Hinata's feelings as a big joke, something she could mess around and play with when she desired.

She looked at Sakura with dead, expressionless eyes.

"Sakura-chan," for a second there, Sakura was surprised that the girl could even utter her name.

"D-do you enjoy playing with people's f-feelings that much?"

Sakura's eyes widened a bit more, was this a confrontation?

She answered nonchalantly, "You wouldn't possibly know how much, unless you tried it."

Hinata smiled, and tilted her head, as if they were having a normal conversation, as if nothing just happened, as if her world hadn't come crumbling down in a matter of seconds.

"Let's c-continue being friends, ne?"

* * *

Hinata stared at her reflection in the vanity mirror.

She held out her hand, touching the cold surface.

' _Mediocre, huh.'_

She thought of Haruno Sakura's gorgeous bubblegum pink locks, and fingered her own dull, black hair. She thought of Haruno Sakura's emerald green eyes, which could entice a man just by a single look, and compared it to her lifeless lilac eyes, which creeped anyone out if she stared too long.

Haruno Sakura was captivating, intense, and interesting.

While Hyuuga Hinata was quiet, shy, and boring.

No wonder Naruto chose a girl like Sakura over her.

' _No._ '

Naruto doesn't know who Sakura really is.

' _What if he'd find out and still continue to love her?'_

Hinata bitterly smiled. Rejection didn't mean the end of the world for her. And in the first place, she wasn't even rejected. Just in an unrequited love.

' _It hurts. It still hurts.'_

She was done pitying herself.

' _First thing to do… My real self… I'm going to lock her away in a box, hidden and sealed. I can't show any weakness, I won't. I'm done running away.'_

Was turning into a despicable person for the better? Or for worse?

' _And second… I'm going to steal away_ _ **everything**_ _from Sakura.'_

* * *

 ** _A/N: I was inspired to write something so here it is! =)_**

I was shocked to see how many haters there are for SasuHina O_o like, chill bruuhh, we aren't even shoving the pairing down your throats like people do with canon pairings -.-

And it was clearly stated in the summary, that this is a SasuHina fic, why waste your time clicking on it and reviewing or commenting? Don't like, don't click. AND THIS IS IN AN ALTERNATE UNIVERSE; WHERE ALL THE HORRIBLE, UNSPEAKABLE STUFF HASN'T HAPPENED TO SASUKE BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE FREAKIN' IMPOSSIBLE IN A NORMAL HIGH-SCHOOL-LIFE-THEMED SCENARIO WHERE THIS FIC HAS TAKEN PLACE.

 __ ** _But of course, I'm also happy to know that there are people who could see the endless potential within SasuHina, and defended our ship. I'm with you, guys! This is called fanfiction for a reason, right? We aren't here to hurt anyone; our imagination's the limit._**

 ** _I'm grateful to all who've read the story thus far! Please continue to review, I'd like to know what you all think :D_**


	4. Chapter 4: Lie

**FALL FOR ME?**

SUMMARY: Hinata wanted Naruto. Naruto wanted Sakura. Sakura wanted envy and admiration. Sasuke thought he wanted Hinata. Hinata opted to join the game. A game of deception. Of who falls first, and who pretends better. "Would you fall for me?" AU&OOC.

 _ **Disclaimer: Uhm?**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 4: LIE**

She didn't get to sleep much.

A knock came from the outside, "Oi, stop your fussing and come down. Breakfast's ready."

She heard the footsteps fade away and sniffed loudly.

' _Neji-nii-san's being a ball of joy as usual.'_

Morning at the Hyuuga residence was one of the precious times when Hinata could appreciate the tranquility and ambiance their household had. Sunlight was pouring in from the shoji, and bathed the tatami mats in yellow warmth. She expected Hanabi to have left much earlier for school, and her father, still probably in his quarters.

Downstairs, she followed the smell of bacon, eggs, and coffee.

Hyuuga Neji, casually sipping tea and looking as coolly bored as ever (Hinata always wondered how he managed to look like that), raised an eyebrow at the disheveled girl's look.

"D-don't bother asking, yes, I know I l-look like s-shit."

He set his cup down, and with an amused voice said, "I didn't know that _the_ Hinata-hime could cuss. This day must be very amusing."

She looked at him and frowned, "Neji-nii-san, do you know Haruno Sakura?"

"Who doesn't, when she's been running around the third years' corridors disturbing _my_ peace and quiet?"

Her ears perked up, _'So that's where she's been going at lunch time. But why?'_

"Why?"

"I didn't care enough to know why."

"Well do you know U-Uzumaki N-N-Naruto?"

He gave her an off-put look, "I'm not one of your girl friends, go gossip with the Haruno girl or whatever her name is."

The girl bumped her head against the wooden table, face down. "I c-can't."

"Not my problem anymore."

"I d-don't exactly have friends to talk to."

"Then go make some."

She looked at him pleadingly.

He sighed.

"Okay, fine. I'm listening."

"I, uhm, k-kinda want t-to…" the rest of her sentence was mumbled down, as she pressed her pointer fingers nervously. Hyuuga Neji didn't have time for her _delightful, self-effacing_ request at 7 in the morning.

"I hope you don't choke on your words, Hinata; speak up."

"I w-want to join t-the student c-council."

Neji almost choked on his tea.

"You want to what? Why?"

The girl put her palms flat on the table to avoid her hands from doing something that would most likely further irritate her cousin.

"W-well, you're t-the council's p-president, right? I w-was thinking about h-how cool it would be if I c-could, you know, uhm, help you?" she meekly finished.

He simply deadpanned, "You're lying."

' _Damn it with the stutter.'_

"Just, please? Neji-nii-san, please?"

"Unless you could come up with a better reason, or rather a more convincing lie, I'm not accepting your application. Which has to be formally submitted _at school."_

She hung her head, and to think that she even considered buying him his favorite food.

' _I should just cook curry for dinner this evening. Very, very spicy curry.'_

* * *

Hinata snapped herself back to reality. She was staring at the back of Naruto's head… _again._

She breathed in deeply, and glued her eyes to her book; it was lunch time – and Haruno Sakura was just about to disappear from the vicinity _again._

She briefly wondered, _who could she be visiting at the seniors' floor?_ And then her thoughts shifted to Naruto _again._

Naruto; he was at a loss.

Why wouldn't he be? When the girl of his dreams… the girl who _just kissed him a couple of days ago,_ was completely ignoring him now.

Was it something he did?

"Hi, Sakura-chan," he didn't even get to say anything before she cut him off.

"Sorry, Naruto-kun, I'm kinda busy right now. Maybe some other time."

And then she'd go rushing out the room. He ought to ask Hinata Hyuuga, who he always saw with her (until much recently, they seemed to not be on talking terms), but then he'd remember that she witnessed that _very embarrassing scene_ and he'd just back down.

He sighed forlornly.

"Oi, Naruto."

"Whadd'you want, Kiba?"

"What's up with you and Sakura? Did you piss her off?"

He rolled his eyes. Heck, if he knew.

"Gee, Kiba; I never knew you gossiped."

The other boys around them snickered, "She's seeing someone else from the other class."

Naruto's ears perked up; but this, coming from _Kiba_ of all people?

"Yeah, right."

"Man, I'm serious. I saw her. _We_ saw her."

"We, meaning?"

"Akamaru, who else?"

Yep. He wasn't going to believe Kiba; he had absolutely no sane and logical reason to.

"It was probably just her friend, or cousin, or someone, it doesn't really matter. Sakura-chan's not like that."

The boys settled down as the bell rang, along with Sakura entering the room looking flushed and…

' _There's no way she's like that… was she?'_

* * *

She set her pen down on the library table. It was rather an uneventful day; and it was already two and a half hours after classes ended. _Two and a half hours spent in the library._

' _Is this worth it?'_

She never really dedicated a lot of time studying - she didn't want to. People expected someone like her; typical shy, modest, quiet girl, to be more inclined with the art of studying. But she never really was a bookworm. Neither was she grade-conscious too; until now.

' _Am I grade-conscious already?'_

Maybe not quite yet. She was starting, at least.

But she couldn't keep up with studying any longer. Her fingers hurt from writing non-stop, her back hurt from being hunched over her notes and books, her eyes strained from reading. _And it was only in the span of two hours._ Damn, was she weak.

' _This is worth it.'_

She needed to become well-acquainted with literature; with history; with science – _she needed sophistication._ And she needed wisdom above everything, considering what she set herself out to do.

Sakura's cunningness, Hinata deduced, was a combination of hard-earned intellect and experience. She flipped through another page, eyes just scanning the long paragraph. To be able to outwit someone of Sakura's caliber, she needed to learn.

Exams were also nearing.

 _Who would rank first place in their year should surprise everyone._

She gathered up her things, and set out towards the main doors, deciding to just continue studying at home.

' _And it just so happens that it's raining. My luck is awesome, I know that now.'_

She took out her umbrella, but just as she was about to open it, someone approached her from her left side. Her head turned towards the person; and guess who it was.

"Oh. You." He dully noted.

Her memory was still fresh from the night at Ichiraku's; and seeing him together with Haruno Sakura. She barely contained her disgust.

' _Stay away from me. Don't touch me.'_

She opened her umbrella and prepared to leave, until she recalled that yes, _he's one of Sakura's... whatever he is_. Her eyes slightly flickered to the boy.

 _'Chance.'_

She politely smiled, "How do you do?" She nearly patted herself on the back for doing such a good job of stopping her stutter.

She needed to somehow catch his attention. She needed him to see her not just merely as a schoolmate he'd pass by in the corridors – she needed him to get interested enough in her to want _more._ This, the proper starting point, was most crucial and important. First impressions last, after all.

' _But what should I do? What should I say?'_

He raised an eyebrow, "I'm not the one who stormed out of a restaurant in tears."

' _C-crap.'_

"M-my… d-dog d-died."

She didn't have a dog. Heck, she never had a dog.

"You're lying."

' _How did he know?!'_

"N-no, I'm not," she defensively looked away, "And I h-have no obligation to tell what happened to a stranger anyway, so…"

The raindrops hitting the pavement were the only sounds that were heard.

"Okay, then. See you around."

' _Huh? Wait, what? That was it? What was that? He didn't even ask for my name! He… he didn't even say anything remotely hinting at the fact that he wanted to talk some more. It shouldn't have happened like that; it wasn't supposed to go like this –'_

"W-Wait!"

That was the second time she stopped him from leaving by grabbing onto his sleeve. Her face burned brightly, but she didn't let go. Mad silence enveloped them for a few seconds, and she nervously gulped.

"I… I actually don't have a dog."

He didn't even look at her.

 _'Something; I have to say something - Hinata, say something!'_

"I was dumped."

' _Kami-sama, help me, now what am I saying? What am I even doing?'_

"I was c-called out there, at 8 in the evening, wearing a freezing pink floral dress, and I was dumped."

' _It wasn't totally the truth but…'_

She closed her eyes shut from embarrassment and hung her head low. She honestly didn't know what she was doing anymore. She was unsure and nervous, she didn't know what would happen – she hasn't the slightest idea what he thought of her, of this – and she thought it was easy to read boys, per Sakura's approach.

Truth was, she was barely keeping her sanity intact. She's even surprised she hasn't burst into tears or hyperventilated or fainted by now. She was unprepared and she knows it well.

She noticed her heartbeat become faster; but neither did she notice her grip tighten around his sleeve, nor him staring at her, slightly taken aback.

When she thought she had once again failed miserably, she felt warm hands wrap around hers.

He gently pried her fingers off of his sleeve, but didn't let go of her hand.

"Uchiha Sasuke."

Her head jerked up so suddenly, she feared she might've suffered from whiplash for a second there.

' _What did he just say?'_

He sighed, looking at the girl whose jaw just dropped, "My name is Uchiha Sasuke."

She had to blink herself back into consciousness to realize he was waiting for her name.

"H-H-Hyuuga Hinata." She replied breathlessly.

Uchiha Sasuke slightly tilted his head, and boyishly smile at her.

"Hinata. You wanna go someplace else?"

* * *

Hyuuga Hanabi flung a grain of rice towards the rather impassive girl sitting opposite her.

"Onee-san, flies are entering your mouth."

The girl immediately shut her mouth, which she just recently noticed thanks to her beloved sister.

"I… think I'm going to bed early."

The girl rose, and thanked the heavens her father wasn't present; lest her ears bleed with sermons for getting up during a meal.

Hinata decided to sit on the engawa outside her room. This was the best time of the night; when the skies are clear, the moon is round and bright, and crickets are heard in the background. The very definition of peace.

Her thoughts wandered to the events that took place earlier. She couldn't even make sense of what actually transpired and happened.

' _What happened is that I… chickened out. For a lack of a better word.'_

She sighed. Rejecting his offer _'to go someplace else'_ was a very bad decision to make.

' _I had him; right then and there – everything was all going according to plan (Did I have a plan? Face it, Hinata. You were plan-less) – all I had to do… was say yes.'_

' _Yes.'_

Her heartbeat sped up again.

"Hinata, you dummy." She said to herself, burying her face in her arms.

"And why are you degrading yourself?"

She turned towards the source of voice. Like a fairy godmother who appeared when the princess was in distress, he was. She smiled at him, welcoming his company.

Neji. He was always there for her – not emotionally, though, no, he was too stiff and _cool_ for that – but he always listened to her, nonetheless, no matter how nonsense her ramblings got.

"Neji-nii-san," she spoke as Neji sat beside her. Moonlight bathed the ground in a silvery glow.

"If it's about the student council thing –"

"How can you tell if someone's lying?"

Now he was confused. Because _where did that come from?_

"Why do you ask?"

Hinata smiled, _'Because I want to get better at lying.'_

"I-It's for schoolwork, s-something our p-professor a-asked."

He sighed, "Stop lying, Hinata. We both know about your stuttering problem."

She frowned, "Then w-what if I didn't have a stuttering problem? How would you tell?"

"…I don't know."

"S-so there are things you don't know. I was starting to think of you as a tree of wisdom, or something like that."

He chuckled slightly beside her, and her thoughts delved deeper into a new area.

"Well, can you teach me how to lie better?"

"Lose the stutter."

She made a funny look, "Besides that, o-obviously.

She stared at him, and he stared back. He honestly doesn't know what to tell her, and he couldn't think clearly when he was intrigued by what caused her to ask questions such as these in the first place.

So he told her the simplest answer that came to mind.

"Listen. When you need a lie to save your life, _99% of it must be true, and that remaining 1% must be absolutely, and outrageously, false."_

Her eyes widened – she'd done that earlier. It worked.

' _But can I do it again?'_

* * *

 _ **A/N: I tried a slightly more peaceful and lighter chapter :)**_

HinaSasuChoAsu: Thank heavens, I was kinda reaaaally trying to at least keep Hinata in character, glad that's working out :D and yes, definitely there will be a lot of hurt and hopefully, transformations from their experiences. It's a game of deceit and lies, after all. No one's really safe getting hurt :(

TAYYABALARAIB: I'm learning a whole lot from your reviews, reading it makes me inspired to write more! :) And with Sakura, yes, my goal isn't really to make the readers hate her, because all of them are going to be tainted throughout the story; because no one's really gonna stay pure and innocent in a world of lies. And Hinata, oh my, of course her transformation wouldn't take overnight, that would just be ridiculous. A lot of things within her are slowly, but surely, changing; for the better or for the worse... i don't know yet, honestly. hahaha

Gangnam Style X3: with Sakura, I've made it seem in the story as if Hinata's love and admiration is what made Sakura curious about Naruto - that's what she does, if she sees someone wanting someone/something bad enough, she takes it upon herself to take that someone/something for herself - because it's what makes her feel good, it's what satisfies her. i'm still debating on whether or not to include a backstory for Sakura and how she came to be how she is xD aaaand it's gonna be a painfully long journey for Hinata to really exact her revenge :)

Thank you so soooo much everyone for taking the time to read and review~ it makes my heart float that SasuHina fans still exist support each other :') please continue to do so! i'd love to know what you think of the chapter! :D

 ** _PS: I didn't know virgin-shaming was still a thing in 2017 hahahaha_**


	5. Chapter 5: Serendipity

**FALL FOR ME?**

SUMMARY: Hinata wanted Naruto. Naruto wanted Sakura. Sakura wanted envy and admiration. Sasuke thought he wanted Hinata. Hinata opted to join the game. A game of deception. Of who falls first, and who pretends better. "Would you fall for me?" AU&OOC.

 _ **Disclaimer: *laughs in japanese***_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 5: SERENDIPITY**

 _ **Dear Not-A-Diary,**_

 _I wish the red string of fate was visible._

 _Then no one could get caught up a strange, tangle of a mess with each other._

 _No complications, no misunderstandings; you just need to see that bright red string tied around your pinky, follow it through to the other end, and just like that: happily ever after. You'd know that you're made for that person, and vice versa. Simple and easy. No hassle or whatsoever._

 _No more heartbreaks, no more 'what ifs,' no more second thoughts, no more mistakes, no more regrets, and no more hate. If only that was really possible, then I'd have no more problems right now._

 _But then again, if the string was visible, then there would also be no excitement._

 _It would be… boring._

 _No more butterflies, no more surprises, suspense, or heart-wrenching emotions that could prompt a person to write their own story – something that would delight me if I was who I was back in junior high._

 _So it's not visible. And it looks like that isn't gonna change anytime soon. But it would be more fun this way, as now, anyone could just mentally tie the other end of the string to the person of their affections and believe it to be destiny._

 _Until then, that's what I'm doing._

 _ **Love, Hinata Hyuuga.**_

* * *

Hinata stepped out of the comfort room's cubicle, and just had to incidentally run into Sakura.

Sakura pressed the compact powder's cushion against her skin one last time, before putting it away. She was pretty enough as she is, now she wants her skin to be glowing all the time, Hinata thought and sulked.

She stared as Hinata washed her hands at a sink quite a distance from her, and lightly laughed.

"You don't need to be so awkward with me, Hinata."

Hinata smiled back, "Of c-course, Sakura-chan. But you know me, I just like to be quiet on certain days."

' _Days such as everyday when I'm with you. So let's keep the quiet.'_

"Hmm," Sakura hummed in reply, "Well, I heard something interesting lately."

Hinata turned the tap off. _'Should I care?'_

"I heard," she leaned against the countertop, as she amusedly looked at her, "That you rejected Sasuke-kun."

She surprisingly looked at Sakura, "Where d-did you hear that from?"

"From Sasuke, of course." Sakura laughed, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

Hinata's eyes widened in surprise, which Sakura immediately took note of.

"Oh, you didn't know? Sasuke-kun tells me _everything."_

Hinata closed her eyes shut and took a deep, calming breath.

' _This is fine. This is just fine.'_

"Is that so?"

"Yeah, well actually, good job, Hinata. The boy needs to hurt a little for his ego to deflate so, you have my thanks." She winked at her, "See you around."

She waved good bye, and she was out, leaving her alone, and staring at the door.

' _This isn't over yet.'_

* * *

Uchiha Sasuke stared at a familiar someone who walked into the library.

Particularly, someone who rejected him the day before.

He watched as she set down her things at a lone table, before standing up and –

' _She really does have eerie eyes.'_

To his surprise, she started walking towards him in an even pace. She walked, and walked, and _walked,_ past him, towards the other end of the bookshelf, and began to scan through the pages of a particular book she just took out.

Hell would have to freeze over before he approached someone who rejected him first.

So he turned back to scanning the pages of his own book.

"A-ano…" so she spoke first.

He pretended not to hear.

"U-Uchiha-san," she softly, _very, very softly_ muttered his name, he wasn't sure if he heard right, but he looked towards her, nonetheless.

She motioned for him to _come closer,_ which out of curiosity, he did.

"I'm s-sorry for not taking you up on your offer yesterday," she softly continued, until he was slightly having difficulty hearing her.

He smiled, "Did you plan a good lie this time?"

"I really am sorry. Exams are coming right up, and…"

Her voice seems to just grow softer until he couldn't catch the rest of her sentence, "I can't hear you."

She innocently tilted her head, and he noticed her gripping her book tighter to her chest. She shyly tucked a stray hair behind her ear _(Hinata practiced this a whole lot of time back home; she was surely confident of her hair-tucking-behind-her-ear skill)._

"C-come closer, then."

If he wasn't mistaken, he would think that she was flirting with him.

So he did. He slowly stepped closer towards her until her back hit the bookshelf in a light thud.

He assessed the situation; she clearly knew what she was doing, of what they were about to get into.

The book she gripped was still between them.

"Before I answer," he motioned for her to continue, "W-what's really going on between you and Sakura-chan?"

"Oh, her?" he slightly paused, "I mean, she's got others too, you know?"

Hinata's thoughts paused altogether. Because…

' _The hell is that?'_

She was livid. He knew and he was fine with it? And the fact that he _confirmed_ that there is something between them, and he was also just fine messing around with Hinata?

' _This can't do. This is just pathetic.'_

"So you were saying?" he continued after gaining no apparent response from her.

' _He's just one of many to Sakura. And now, he's trying to recruit me to his group of girls._

 _This won't do. I can't beat her like this; I_ _ **want**_ _to beat her.'_

She tiptoed until she could whisper in his ear, "I h-have to s-study. So c-can you help me?"

He had to admit, she was quite pretty up close. Her skin was paler than most girls, her lashes were long and thick, and her lips were stained cherry red.

Hinata realized something as she fully drew his attention to her. _It felt good._

' _That's right; I need you to look at me, only me.'_

He began inching dangerously close to her, his hand leaning onto the shelf behind her.

' _Fall for me – and forget about her.'_

He deeply inhaled her scent of vanilla and lavender; she smelled a little bit too sweet for his liking.

' _I'll pretend with you all you want, and then you can fall for the fake version of me.'_

Her hair was soft as silk, he thought, as he drew back her long locks of midnight-blue hair, further exposing her delicate and dainty neck; but just before his lips made contact, he stopped.

"Hinata," his warm breath ghosted against her skin, "You can tell me to stop and I will."

She opened her mouth, but no words came out.

The book she held in between them prevented him from hearing her heart beat furiously mad.

He lightly, gently kissed her pulse and she drew her hand to her lips to prevent herself from gasping. His arm wrapped around her frame to pull her closer as he continued kissing her across her skin, the pressure increasing each time he moved to another area. Her skin was soft, _so unbelievably soft_ ; and her hand came up to grip the sides of his uniform, her breathing becoming quite erratic in between his kisses.

He drew back and observed her, before taking her hand and intertwining his with them.

"Relax," he kissed her forehead.

She did as he told her to, but as soon as his eyes met hers again, she drew them away.

He tenderly cupped her face, "I like your eyes."

She slightly panicked. She knew what he was planning to do next.

' _My first kiss…_

 _No. it doesn't matter. I've gone this far. It doesn't matter anymore.'_

She shut her eyes close as he moved towards her; but her mind continued to scream at her.

' _Naruto. It was supposed to be Naruto.'_

He smelled of mint and cinnamon.

' _Naruto, Naruto, Naruto, Naruto…'_

"S-stop."

She muttered, and he did rightly so; just before he could kiss her fully on the lips.

He cautiously drew back, and observed the girl in front of him. She was…

' _She's crying.'_

She hiccuped in between her tears, and once again, Sasuke really didn't know what to do.

"What's wrong? Why're you crying?" he moved to retract his arm around her waist, but she stumbled forward, so he kept his hold on her.

"T-that's weird, m-my knees a-aren't h-holding me up," she continued to hold back her tears, but to no avail.

"What's wrong, Hinata?" he lightly shook her shoulders.

"I-it's just really silly," she wiped her tears away, "It's j-just that… it's my first kiss."

' _I want it to be Naruto; I need it to be Naruto.'_

He consoled her by awkwardly patting her on the head – but of course; the girl hadn't had her first kiss yet, and of course, it was clearly _that_ important to her.

"…Can't it be me?"

Her eyes snapped back to him. He looked at her with such tenderness that she almost felt it was real.

' _Almost.'_

"W-well, I'm s-still kinda n-nervous."

That was a lie – he could tell. She was terrified. She obviously doesn't want to lose something as important as her first kiss to just _anyone –_ and to be fair, he was just still a mere _'anyone'_ to her.

He sighed, this was probably a good thing. And they were still in the library, of all places.

"You're right. Sorry."

' _That was close. Crap, that was really close.'_ She thought in relief.

"We can take it slow, until we can be comfortable with each other first." He stepped back, and Hinata finally dropped the book to her side.

* * *

Sakura was bored out of her mind.

The day she _finally_ agreed to go out Naruto Uzumaki, and he'd taken her out to an amusement park.

 _An amusement park, for crying out loud._

She wasn't a kid; she didn't get high on actually and literally getting high up towards the skies and plunging down to fake death. Her day was wasted on eating pink frosting and 'pretending' to have fun; and he never even made a move on her! The only good that came out of it was that Naruto was still buying her act. Well, she'd had enough.

So now, she was going to get drunk.

"Maa, Sakura-chan; don't you think you should _maybe_ just slow down on drinking?"

Now that she'd thought about it, _why hasn't Naruto made a move on her yet?_

She downed another shot of sake.

She's done her hair right. She's showing off a lot of skin (and a whole lot of cleavage). She made sure she smelled nice. And she certainly didn't show any dislike for skinship – which he has yet to do.

Other boys by now would have tried to at least kiss her. And by this time of the evening, they were either at a motel, or at his apartment.

 _This sucks._ Now she's actually doubting herself today.

"Naruto," she slightly slurred.

The boy blinked curiously and took away her shot glass, for which she glared at him for a moment before taking it back forcefully.

"Fill it." She ordered.

"Are you sure? You're getting pretty drunk, you know." Naruto voiced his concerns, which just further irritated said girl.

' _That's the point!'_

She pointed a dainty finger at him, "Ne, Naruto. Are you secretly gay?"

He sputtered the orange juice he was currently gulping down, and stared at Sakura in disbelief.

"Are you serious?"

' _Then why haven't you made a move on me yet?!'_

She couldn't believe the possibly _most basic and simple type of boy, like Naruto, for heaven's sake,_ was able to resist her thus far.

She leaned towards him, making sure he had a _very good look_ at her assets.

"Don't you want to kiss me?"

He blushed so furiously red, she wouldn't be surprised if he combusted at any moment now.

"Well, ah, you see, there are just a lot of, err, things going through my mind that – b-but that doesn't mean that I don't want to…"

She backed down into her seat after seeing him look away and become an incomprehensible mess and sighed, downing another shot.

 _This was a waste of time. I should've just studied and reviewed my notes._

"I'm leaving." She hastily said.

"What? But Sakura, wait –"

She grabbed her bag and headed out of the place, followed by a slightly surprised, slightly nervous Naruto.

She was briskly walking away; he was following her.

"Why are you still following me?" she exasperatingly turned around to look at him.

"You're drunk, Let me take you hom–"

"I don't want you to!"

' _Ahh, I think I drank a little too much.'_

The world around her spun a little too fast, and next thing she knew, she was spiraling downwards, like the _blasted roller coaster_ she rode for so many times this day that she lost count. She shut her eyes, and prepared for the oncoming crash with the ground.

It never came.

"Whew, just in time."

She looked up to see _the oblivious idiot's grinning face._ She held onto his arms, as he held her in place – she was close enough to see her reflection in his eyes, and he was close enough to, for the first time, make _her_ slightly uncomfortable.

' _He smells kind of… nice.'_

She was frustrated at the fact that she was trying so hard for someone like _Naruto,_ of all people.

"Why won't you kiss me?"

He helped balance her, and stooped down to fix her untied shoelace which most likely caused her to trip face-first into his arms.

"I just feel like now probably isn't the best time, y'know?"

She scoffed, "You're saying that I'm not good enough for you."

Yep. She was definitely drunk. She hasn't been this desperate for someone else's affections in a long, long while. It slightly stung. Maybe she should call up Sasuke?

"I'm saying," he stood back and stared in her eyes, "That _I'm_ not good enough for you."

' _What?'_

Her heart slightly quivered, as she stared wordlessly at this basic, simple boy who managed to make her heart _almost, slightly_ feel something.

"So in the meantime, can I walk you home?"

* * *

Sakura Haruno lay in bed, staring at particularly nothing at her ceiling, and thinking about a few stuff she practically shoved to the back of her mind a long, long time ago.

 _When I was a kid, marriage in the desolate village I came from was one of the few, rare things I actually admired._

 _I remember the first time I witnessed the tradition; I was seven that time, and it was my parents' wedding to be exact._

 _It was held at a vast, open area at the peak of the mountain, where the couple would exchange their eternal vows while overlooking the plains beyond them._

 _Music would softly play in the background, and people would be dressed up in bright clothes, cheering, laughing and conversing with one another. No gossips, no whisperings, no sadness, and no awkwardness._

 _There was, also, this one thing that really caught my attention back then._

 _It was the beautiful crimson ball of yarn they would present in a golden platter._

 _The priest would cut off a piece of string; and it would be tied firstly around the woman's right pinky finger, followed by the man's. the village elders said it symbolized love; that fate deigned them to be together before and after their time, no matter how many times they would be reincarnated, no matter what lives they would have, what period they live in, and no matter where in the universe they would be born._

 _ **The red string of fate, however invisible, would continue to endlessly stretch, tangle, but never break.**_

 _The couple's paths would always cross, as they were made for each other forever and always._

 _But that was just pitiful and wishful thinking conjured by the hypocrite-like minds of men._

 _It was a myth, a story, a lie. I learned that lesson five years after the wedding._

 _My parents began to constantly disagree and grew wary of one another. Trust was lost, distance increased in both physical and emotional aspects, the love they once shared slowly faded away, and oftentimes, they would argue about who was going to take custody of me._

 _The villagers said that it was just a simple test given by the fates. A rough patch, if you must; once they would get through this, everything would turn back to the way it was and their love would further flourish._

 _It never did._

 _And the next thing I knew, I was left without a mother._

 _Two predictable years later my father remarried._

 _And I watched in disinterest as the red string was tied around my father's pinky for the second time._

 _That was the moment my childish belief died. We moved away from the village and into the bustling city – I'm glad we did. Because then, I fully understood what made people tick._

 _I'm not a child anymore; fairy tales existed for no one._

 _The red string of fate is just one, big joke._

 _Right?_

* * *

 ** _A/N: Whoohooo! Another chapter done; I'm feeling productive today :D_**

Caaries Laventa: Really? I'm glad that there are still many SH fans over there! I have no idea what most of the fans in our country thinks, but most of my friends are hardcore canon shippers. They don't hate on the other pairings like some people do, though, so i guess that's a good thing. :) and yes, i'm still trying to make Hinata slowly and surely develop into the strong, confident woman she is, but still retaining most of her personality which makes her _Hinata._ Because who says women can't be soft-spoken and strong-willed at the same time, right? As for lime or lemon... i'm still not sure HAHAHA the story'll most probably head towards that direction, but i can't say for sure yet :)

BlackStellar: Haters gonna hate, i guess hahaha. i also had fun writing Neji :D he'll still appear within the next chapters as i have a most important role in mind for him :) Aaaand yes, i also decided to include a backstory for Sakura, since she also deserves some love xD this chapter gives us a glimpse into Sakura's past; her whole and complete story is yet to be told :D in the last chapter, Hinata originally turned down Sasuke's offer. but well in this chapter... let's just say she's still bracing herself to win the game :)

TAYYABALARAIB: This chapter goes with some out-of-character-ness, but i still tried xD Hinata's starting to slowly change, and now we have more insight into what personality Sasuke has in the story. and yes, in the anime, that's what bothered me the most too :( especially the times when Sakura just treats him like a no-other-choice replacement for Sasuke but Naruto still... you know. it was kinda hate-warranting. hahaha they eventually evolved and outgrew their own insecurities, though, and that's what i'm happy about :)

HinaSasuChoAsu: Hahaha the original story of this was that there wasn't supposed to be any friends-with-benefits stuff. but then it was scrapped because i decided it was too bland for my taste xD and Sasuke finding out about Hinata is something to definitely look forward to. because when all is said and done, no one is really immune to falling at least even partly in love, especially when it involves indulgence of the flesh. Everyone finding out about _everyone_ is also something to look forward to :D

 _ **Thank you to everyone who continues to read and look forward to reading the story! it really inspires me to write better! :D feel free to review, because i'd love to know what you guys think about the chapter :)**_


	6. Chapter 6: Persuasion

**FALL FOR ME?**

SUMMARY: Hinata wanted Naruto. Naruto wanted Sakura. Sakura wanted envy and admiration. Sasuke thought he wanted Hinata. Hinata opted to join the game. A game of deception. Of who falls first, and who pretends better. "Would you fall for me?" AU&OOC.

 _ **Disclaimer: *presses repeat button***_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 6: PERSUASION**

Fall was approaching.

And with it, came the occasional letters of invitation to annual social functions – fancy parties hosted by people she didn't know, and didn't bother to know. Every year, without fail, business tycoons and their successors are invited to an _evening of relaxation and entertainment._ Being put on display like some porcelain doll and putting on fake smiles the whole evening didn't seem very relaxing and entertaining, at least, not to a certain Hyuuga.

Hinata Hyuuga felt her stomach churn. She didn't _want_ to attend another social gathering. So when Hanabi promptly dumped the letter on her desk earlier this morning, all she wanted to do was to the burn the whole damn thing.

"You're getting better at glaring, Hinata-sama." Neji passed by and patted her on the shoulder. He looked out the window, watching the yellowing leaves fall to the ground one by one in succession. _It's a chilly day today._

"S-shut up, Neji-nii." Though the weather was starting to get chilly, Hinata felt warm, boiling blood rush to her cheeks.

"Aren't we feisty today." The scent of black coffee filled the vicinity as Neji sat down opposite the stressed heiress.

"It says it's a _'Get-to-know event of all leaders, and future leaders, all across the nation.'"_ Hanabi read off the front of the fancy perfumed letter. I wonder who's gonna attend this year?"

Neji replied, "Most likely the Naras, the Sabakus, the Yamanakas, to name a few."

Hanabi tapped her chin with her pointer finger and thoughtfully looked up, "Oh yeah, and the Uchihas, too."

Hinata suddenly had the urge to throw up. "I d-don't want to go."

"I'll do your hair for you." Hanabi grinned widely.

"Do it so horribly, father would decide not to take me along with him."

Neji sighed into his cup of coffee, "He'd take you even if you were bald."

And so she slumped on the table, loudly groaning.

* * *

She visibly gulped.

"Uhm," the staring made her uncomfortable. It _really,_ honestly did.

"H-hajimemashite, Inuzuka-san."

She tried to smile, really, but it ended up looking more like a grimace. The boy sighed irritatingly and raised a hand, "Iruka-sensei, can I switch partners? I want to be paired up with Sakura."

Hinata looked miffed. _He wanted Sakura, he said. Well, doesn't everybody do?_

Their classmates sniggered, Sakura tried to contain her amusement, but still failing to; everyone was looking at the pair and whispering amongst themselves, "And why would you want to, Kiba-kun? Hinata-chan is an excellent partner for this assignment." The sensei smiled uncomfortably.

"I won't have a downright…" he looked at her as if in complete and utter disappointment, "… _failure_ as a partner. Because obviously then, we'd fail."

 _'Oh... and then there's that.'_

The sniggering just became louder.

An irritable sigh was heard across the room, leaving everyone in silence, "Kiba, don't you think you're going a bit too far?"

Everyone turned towards Naruto, who was plainly glaring at Kiba.

' _Naruto-kun…'_

Kiba simply leaned back into his chair and shrugged his shoulders, "Come on, everyone knows it's true. Even you say it sometimes."

"I fuckin' swear, Kiba–"

"Alright guys, let's not take this any further." Iruka was mildly surprised with how rude Kiba was acting today. It was unjustifiable and inexcusable; before he managed to say anything in Hinata's defense, however, she raised a hand.

He was more surprised she hasn't burst into tears yet.

"Iruka-sensei, I think it would be best if we just work individually."

A series of _'ooohhhs'_ came from their classmates, stemming from the fact that _Hinata Hyuuga_ managed to actually _not_ stutter. Most of them would think that it was also their first time hearing the shy girl's voice altogether.

"Yes," Iruka agreed with a nod of his head, "Yes, I think that would be for the best, too. But before that, Kiba, Naruto; detention – for your inappropriate behavior towards a schoolmate."

Naruto's jaw dropped, "But Iruka-sensei!"

He merely smiled, cutting him off, "And your reports, made _individually,_ are to submitted to me _before_ 6 PM. Any later than that, and you get a failing grade."

Kiba groaned out loud.

"Alright then, for the rest; you have until tomorrow to complete your assignments. Good luck."

The class returned to its bustling state, as Hinata stood up.

"Well t-then," she smiled at Kiba, and he stared at her, shocked; because – _how was she still able to put up that goody-two-shoes act when he called her a failure in front of everyone?_

Before she could pull her chair away from the vicinity of her ex-partner, he spoke up.

"Wait, are you serious? About working individually?"

She hasn't lost her soft voice, nor her smile, "Iruka-sensei already s-said so. Besides, you don't want to w-work with a failure like me, and I don't want to w-work with an ill-mannered dipshit like y-you."

' _What?'_

Inuzuka Kiba looked completely taken aback; her smile grew wider as she pulled her chair away, sat down, and got right back to work.

' _What the hell just happened?'_

* * *

"Oi."

Their run-ins at the library became quite more common than usual.

He poked her cheek with a pencil, but she just gently swatted his hand away. Simply being in his presence reminded her of the social function; taking place a few days or so from now. She wasn't really sure why she never noticed the Uchihas during the social gatherings – but then again, she didn't bother to really get to know anyone. She was _absolutely sure_ someone like _Sasuke Uchiha_ would catch her eye, though.

She quickly glanced at him. She also attended the function last year; and she was quite certain she hasn't caught a glimpse of the boy. _Unless…_

"N-ne, Uchiha-san," he hummed in response, "D-do you have an older brother? Or sister?"

He raised a questioning brow, "Why?"

She hid her reddening face behind her notebook, "Just c-curious."

"Is that so." Was his simple response – she could feel him stare. "I do."

"Oh, I see!" She was afraid she showed too much enthusiasm with that simple reply. She absorbed the bit of information – that was probably why she never encountered Sasuke before; it was probably his brother who was attending the meetings. She expected him to say something about his brother, or maybe tease her about how she'd been a little bit too curious, but he stayed quiet. She figured he didn't want to talk about his brother. And who was she to complain? They weren't, well, exactly _friends,_ were they?

Silence enveloped them for quite some time, before he spoke up again.

"You're not gonna ask for my help?" he poked her cheek again.

She frowned at him. Now that she'd notice it, Uchiha Sasuke's name never left the list of students making the top ten during their exams. This, and the fact that she's never seen him open a textbook, _not even once,_ during the time that they were together, was just plain wrong. It wasn't fair.

"W-why are you always at the library?" she swatted his hand away for the second time, "You're n-not even s-studying."

"I like seeing you."

She wondered, was he also just forcing himself to be in her company as she was in his?

' _I'll play along with you, sure.'_

She pretended to shyly look away, "S-stop saying stuff l-like that, Uchiha-san."

He took her notebook away, "Have you decided to give away your first kiss already?"

She took it back with an upset look, "I'm g-going home."

"Why so cold today, koneko-chan?"

She packed away her things, stood up, and fixed her chair, "S-stop calling me that, it's u-unbecoming."

Sasuke simply gave her an amused grin, she was rather cute when she was irritated. He wasn't sure what kept drawing him to her, and he definitely wasn't a stranger to shy girls, either – but Hinata was somehow a bit different. She seemed like she had something to hide; and the way she acted a few days ago confirmed that she was more than just shy. There was a hidden side to her that he was curious to unravel.

"Study well, Uchiha-san; exams are w-within one week."

But alas, nothing had happened beyond their little encounter up to this day. At least, nothing _yet._ He nodded his head and waved his goodbye, as she walked out of the library, hugging her books.

She walked past the corridors of Konoha High, lost in thought. She thought about his question a few moments ago – _'Have you decided to give your first kiss yet?_ ' It wouldn't be long until the Uchiha realized she was stalling for time; and she has to do something before he got bored of her and decides she wasn't worth the time.

She bit her lip in contemplation and checked her wristwatch – it was getting pretty late. She suddenly stopped in her tracks, an idea popping into her mind.

' _I wonder…'_

She briskly walked and took the route that would pass through their classroom, leaving her a little out of breath once she reached the familiar room. She slowed down, took a huge breath, and slightly peeked inside.

Just as she suspected, Naruto still hasn't gone home.

She entered the room quietly, _was he asleep?_

The white window curtains blew softly with the wind, towards Naruto, who was slumped over his paper, sound asleep.

She checked her wristwatch once more; _'Only 30 more minutes until their deadline.'_

She got down on her knees and stared at his sleeping form. Soft blonde hair, tan, cool skin, the faint whisker-like marks on his cheeks; she shook her head and realized she was beginning to act like a creepy stalker. She didn't need more reasons for Naruto to avoid her.

But what Kiba said earlier that day; did he really use to call her a failure, too?

She admits that she wasn't hurt that much by Kiba's remark – so it hadn't stuck onto her mind. After all, she was already used to it at home. Even without hearing it, just the way her father looks at her screamed a thousand words of, well, she could discern the disappointment. That was the most prominent of all his looks.

But Naruto Uzumaki; she was her first everything. The first person to look past her little mistakes, her stuttering, her flaws; the first person to ever compliment her, and she clearly remembered what he said that day – that she was brilliant, in more ways than one, and that she needed to _own it._ But he was also the first to shatter her glass heart. It wasn't like he meant it, but it still hurt.

She bitterly smiled.

' _Can I be selfish just this one time?'_

She moved towards him, slowly, until she was staring at his closed eyes. What would she do if they suddenly opened? Their breaths mingled, she held her hair away, slowly closed her eyes, and very, _very_ lightly, planted a kiss on his lips.

She stared at him after. It hurt more than it made her happy to know her first kiss had finally been claimed. It wasn't supposed to go like this in her musings, and in her dreams. There was no sweet, slow music playing, there were no fancy lights, no petaled ground, no scent of candles - but she supposed that for now, this would have to do.

She stood up, before shaking Naruto awake to help him submit his paper on time.

* * *

Hinata walked home alone, as usual, passing through the lush green fields that were normally empty at this time of the day.

Today wasn't a normal day, she decided; since she could make out a lone figure by the riverbed.

' _Was that Inuzuka Kiba?'_

Her grip on the strap of her schoolbag tightened as she remembered what had transpired earlier in the day.

It was no surprise how he treated her; Kiba liked girls like Sakura after all – strong, bold, and empowered. And she, apparently, did not seem to be _strong, bold, nor empowered_ enough for him to warrant his kindness. He was one of the boys who noticeably chased after Sakura for the past few days; and Hinata was aware of how the boys stared at Sakura everytime she passes them by. She could only imagine what they talked about everytime they huddled in groups on occasional days. Inuzuka Kiba was no exception - completely taken in by the wonder that is _Haruno Sakura._

' _The best revenge I could exact is making him doubt everything he had ever believed in.'_

She approached the boy cautiously.

He was lying on his back, on the ground, with his hands under his head, eyes closed in concentration rather than relaxation.

She sat down on the ground and waited for him to take note of her presence, which would be anytime soon now, since she didn't exactly keep her moves quiet around him.

He opened one eye and peeked at her, "What do you want?"

She smiled, "I w-wanted to annoy you w-with my stuttering."

He rolled his eyes, "That's a terrible joke. And I've already said enough about you. So scram."

He turned away from the girl.

"I h-heard you were very close with dogs."

He didn't seem to be listening, but she continued anyway.

"I wanted to have one."

"Doesn't everyone do?"

She honestly adored dogs, though she couldn't bear to keep one at the Hyuuga compound, since no one would be around to ever take care of it.

"My family hates them. That's pretty much the main reason why I've never had the chance to care for one."

He looked at the girl as she smiled one of her bitter smiles – and he thought: _How dare she?_

She lives at a huge-ass compound, is the heir to the Hyuuga corps, she probably has people at her beck and call; she was practically a _spoiled_ _princess._ He hated those types of girls, most especially girls like Hinata who acted as if the brunt of the problems of the world was mostly on their shoulders. So she wasn't allowed to have a dog, _boo freakin' hoo._

"Look, if you came here to be pitied and tryin' to force me into guilt, then–"

Hinata looked at him, owlishly blinking her eyes. "I never said that. I'm not here for that."

He observed her closely for any hint of deceit, but was disappointed to find that there was none. "Then why are you here?"

She smiled, "B-because you l-look like shit," he opened his mouth in retaliation, but she cut him off "A-and I w-wanted to try m-my hand at c-cheering people up."

 _'Why does the girl stutter so damn much?'_

"I don't need anyone to cheer me up." He darkly said, eyes slit and glaring. Why she was still hasn't upped and run from his glowering aura that clearly warranted her early demise, he didn't know.

Instead, her smile simply grew larger. She tilted her head, "I know."

He blinked at her, scaring her away wasn't clearly going to work. So he decided to ignore her then, getting back to closing his eyes and listening to the rushing waters. "Leave me alone. Not everyone wants to be babied."

There was a slight shuffle in the grass beside him, and he thought that she was _finally_ getting up to leave. But if so, why didn't he feel the bit relieved?

Sudden warmth enveloped his hand, and he felt the electrifying touch travel up his arm as he opened his eyes in surprise to look into the depths of none other than shimmering, pale lilac ones.

"Kiba-kun," she whispered, and he was suddenly conscious of how little space there was between them. And then Hinata was all he could see, all he could hear, all he could smell – her hair fell like a cascade of dark blue waterfall around his face, soft and light, her voice rang in his ears, and he was assaulted by the smell of lavender all around him. He didn't dare move.

"Let's make a deal."

She moved away, but she still held his hand. They were now both sitting, and Hinata traced odd patterns at the back of his hand. He still hasn't responded yet, so she took that as a positive sign to continue. Her other hand took out a coin from the pocket of her school uniform, and showed it to him.

"We're doing heads and tails. I'm 'heads,' and you're 'tails.'"

And then he blinked, and scoffed; because _what the hell was she talking about now?_

She frowned at him, "It's not nice to laugh at people's efforts." He felt slightly disappointed that she stopped drawing patterns to reprimand him.

"Sure thing, _mom."_ He sarcastically shot back.

"Okay, so _if_ I win–"

"I doubt it."

"–It's really rude to cut people off – so if I win, you have to promise to be, well, you have to promise to at least treat me kindly enough."

' _What? That's it?'_

He started laughing out loud, and Hinata's eyes widened in surprise.

"You really _are_ this… wholesome? You are unbelievably pure and untainted."

"Wow, uh, thanks?"

"That wasn't a compliment."

That was definitely a compliment, but she didn't argue any longer. "And, there's somewhere I want to take you to someday. You have to promise to come with me, if I win."

He found himself out of breath from laughing, and just nodded in amusement.

Her smile reached her eyes, "Great!"

"Well what if I win?" he asked, and she thought about it for a minute or so.

"Then you can do whatever you want, I guess."

"That's not even a fair trade."

"N-No more arguing." She flipped the coin, up in the air, caught it with her left hand, and slapped it on the back of her right hand. Her eyes lifted to his, as she slowly uncovered the coin.

She giddily laughed, "I win, Kiba-kun!" he rolled his eyes in response.

She then proceeded to wrap her pinky around his, "It's a promise then, alright?" and she noticed the faint blush dusting his cheeks.

"Isn't this something only kids do? You're hella childish, Hinata."

"What's wrong with that?" she tilted her head, "It doesn't help to always be so uptight and serious all the time – the entire world isn't against you, you know? It's okay to be childish sometimes, after all, we are still just kids; still getting accustomed to the world of adults."

He regarded her in a new light; Hinata wasn't just another pretty face after all.

"Did you know? This is the first time you've called me by my name, Kiba-kun. It sounds nice."

Kiba Inuzuka suddenly had the urge to deny that his heart skipped a bit. Because in that moment, Kiba thought of the kind of women he would most likely fall for: women who were loud and outspoken, women who were assertive, frantic, and sprightly; women who were the complete opposite of _Hinata Hyuuga._

Hinata, who was quiet and reserved; who was childish and… _pretty._

He slightly coughed, shaking his thoughts away. "I'm sorry I called you a failure earlier."

She smiled, "I'm sorry I c-called you a dipshit."

She was like the ocean; she was tranquil and calm, yet at the same time, tumultuous and unpredictable. Her personality held depths, and she was interesting to say the least. "Yeah, I had it coming. I should apologize to Naruto tomorrow."

"You should," she laughed, and Kiba realized that her laugh was one of the sweetest sounds he's heard in his entire lifetime.

She checked her wristwatch, "And you should probably be getting home, too." She stood up and dusted the dirt off her skirt, and smiled at him one last time, her voice soft and sweet. "Jaa ne, Kiba-kun."

And as Hinata Hyuuga said her goodbyes, Inuzuka Kiba figured out that maybe, just maybe, soft-spoken, timid girls weren't all just boring fakes after all.

* * *

 _ **Part 2**_

Hinata wrapped her scarf tightly around her neck as the wind blew strands of stray hair across her face. Autumn leaves gathered at the streets, and an unfamiliar red sports car suddenly came to a slow halt beside her.

The window rolled down, along with a cool greeting of "I didn't know you walked to school."

Her head turned towards the voice, more specifically, towards a certain Uchiha boy, with one hand on the steering wheel. She sighed, _'Why am I not the bit surprised?'_

She walked towards the car as he leaned out the window, "Care for a ride?"

' _No thank you.'_

"I would've said no if I haven't noticed how hard you were trying to impress me." She joked, and he laughed with her, "Yeah, right. Get in."

She sat on the passenger seat, and couldn't help but keep glancing at him while he steered the wheel and traversed through the roads effortlessly. It then dwelled on her that she knew nothing about him; she knew nothing about him, yet she had normal conversations with him.

 _What's his favorite color? Favorite food? Does he read novels? If so, what would be his favorite book? Does he prefer winter or summer? Does he own any pets? How many siblings does he have? What were his parents' name? Where would he go after graduation? Where would he like to spend vacation? How does he study? Where does he study? Does he really study?_

"You're drooling, koneko-chan."

She lightly slapped his shoulder, "A-am not." She wondered for a while, was she now willing to take this further? Did she actually have it in her to take things further? She contemplated in silence, before speaking up, "W-Would you like to go to k-karaoke after classes?"

He gave her a weird look, "I didn't know you could sing."

She didn't know if she was supposed to get offended. "Y-You don't k-know a lot about m-me."

' _And I, about you.'_

He agreed then with a silent nod, and glanced at her, eyes briefly glinting mischievously, "I can help you with your stuttering."

"H-how?"

He turned a sharp left, they were less than a good 5 minutes away from school, "I'll answer after you've decided to give away your first kiss."

She gaped at him incredulously, "You are _so_ …"

"Irresistible?" he smirked boyishly at her, and she felt the urge to throw a shoe at him.

"Unpleasant. So u-unpleasant."

He parked smoothly, and turned the engine off, "You should hurry, you know."

"What are you…" he leaned forward, towards her, and she primly froze in place.

"It's really tempting to claim it for myself." His eyes drifted to her shining lips for a second, and within that second, she also panicked.

Then he snapped her seatbelt off and leaned away. She released a breath she didn't realize she was holding.

That was also one of the reasons he kept teasing the poor girl – her expressions were incredibly… _'cute.'_

Haruno Sakura had all kinds of expectations early that morning. But what she hadn't expected to see, was to arrive in time to see Uchiha Sasuke walk out of his car, with… ' _Was that Hinata Hyuuga?_ '

She blinked away her surprise and composed herself, knuckles tightly gripping the strap of her schoolbag.

"Ohayou, Hinata-chan!" Haruno Sakura greeted from a distance, and approached the couple with growing enthusiasm. "Sasuke-kun." She greeted with a nod, to which he also returned with a mere nod.

"Ohayou, Sakura-chan." Hinata greeted with a serene smile.

Hinata looks happy today, Sakura noted. _'Did something good happen?'_

The awkward silence stretched on as the three stood there facing each other, not quite sure what to do next.

"W-well, I'll be going f-first." The Hyuuga spoke up, "See you guys later." Hinata all but ran from the scene.

In the meantime, Sakura Haruno looked at Sasuke in partial amusement, partial curiosity.

"How've you been?" he asked.

They both started walking together towards the doors, gaining a few suspicious looks from people who knew them. "You're the one not responding to my calls, so you tell me."

Instead of entering the main entrance, they turned a corner, and then another, and he emanated an aura of complete boredom all the while. Haruno Sakura simply couldn't figure out what was up with him today – so she dragged him, suddenly and almost fluidly – into a secret secluded spot, a wide-enough space between two large buildings.

She pushed him against the wall, and innocently whispered, "Can I come over this afternoon?" she tilted her head and looked up at him with big, doe eyes; he quite missed her, he admitted. She was pushed snuggly against his form, and his hand almost automatically rested on the small of her back. His other hand reached out to play with a strand of her hair – bubblegum pink _really_ did suit her. She brushed her fingers against his, and for a second, he was quite tempted to say _yes._

"Itachi's coming over for the weekend." The lie almost sounded fluid and perfect, and she wouldn't doubt his words, if not for Sakura being in a position a little bit too close. So she pushed herself off, fixed the ribbon on her uniform, and gave him a cheerful smile.

"You're quite fond of her."

She didn't even need to say her name to know who she was referring to.

"Why would you say that?"

"You didn't deny it.

He bit the inside of his cheek, and raised an eyebrow suspiciously at her, "You're not jealous, are you?"

She shrugged, "Why should I be? She's not the one fucking you." She winked at him, before stalking off by herself.

* * *

 ** _A/N: Writer's block is a nasty thing to deal with._**

 ** _I'm actually not quite feeling alright with the story so far :( I kind of lost inspiration to write along the way, and how the plot was supposed to go; I don't even really know anymore. Still, I'll do my best to finish the story, but don't keep your hopes up and forgive me if my writing worsens or if the plot doesn't seem to add up at all. Even how the characters are supposed to act is lost on me._**

 ** _But to all those who took their time to read and review: honestly, thank you so much, it really means the world to me! :)_**


	7. Chapter 7: Numb

**FALL FOR ME?**

SUMMARY: Hinata wanted Naruto. Naruto wanted Sakura. Sakura wanted envy and admiration. Sasuke thought he wanted Hinata. Hinata opted to join the game. A game of deception. Of who falls first, and who pretends better. "Would you fall for me?" AU&OOC.

 _ **Disclaimer: You know the drill.**_

* * *

 **CHAPTER 7: NUMB**

 _Focus._

"Why are still you here? Exams start in 30 minutes."

Purple clashed with black.

"I could ask you the same question." She decided she had no time for this. She resumed to quickly scanning her notes, her reviewers, trying to go through summarized bullets of information until the last minute.

"Why are you so hell-bent on topping the exams?"

The second she lifted her eyes, the distance between them was no more than mere inches. His fringe covered his eyes and slightly brushed against the tip of her nose.

"I d-don't have any particular reason."

"Lies."

"Then what do you want me to say?"

He studied her for moments, and the ticking of the clock was the only sound heard throughout the empty library.

"Do you want it that bad?"

"Yes."

He silently dropped an opaque red and black folder in front of her.

"Jaa, koneko-chan."

Her eyebrows met in confusion, and as soon as he left, her hands swept through the pages, eyes scanning its contents in exasperation before widening in surprise.

' _Impossible. It can't be…'_

Her heartbeat sped up, and her hands quivered, dropping the folder as if it burnt her flesh.

It was the key answers; key answers to all their exams.

* * *

The strobe lights were lighting the vicinity in a mish-mash of colors; all places in once. The music was loud, and the air was thick with the smell of alcohol and sweat. Strangers danced intimately in the dark, and among them was someone Naruto did not think would actually be capable of doing.

Receiving a text from the girl of his dreams was definitely his ideal way of waking up. Except it was at 2 AM. And it was a drunken text. A very hot, drunken text that pinked him to the tips of his ears.

He wound through the crowd indignantly, looking for the familiar lop of pink hair. The bass dropped, and along with it were the approving screams and hoots of people who were inebriated. He pushed away girls who began to cling to him, and finally saw her in a red, form-fitting dress, dancing oh-so sinfully against someone who was about to have all his ribs broken.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing?" he gripped the hand that dared encircle around the pink-haired girl's tiny waist, bending it away in a serious attempt to dislocate the stranger's limb.

"Naruto, you actually came!" the girl stared with eyes wide and she laughed with glee, arms unlocking around the stranger's shoulders as he scrambled away in fear.

He turned to her with cold, harsh eyes, "I'm taking you home. Now."

There _was_ one problem though. He couldn't very well take her home to her parents at two in the freakin' morning looking like _that_.

Before he could pull her away from the crowd, she laughed once more – fun, sultry, and sugary sweet. "I'm not going anywhere." Her head slightly drooped as she moved towards the unsuspecting Naruto, locking her arms around his neck and claiming his lips in a sweet, deep kiss.

 _The exams ended, and Sakura Haruno was high in spirits, confident that she most definitely excelled in everything. Her hand scrolled through the contacts in her phone, and just when her thumb hovered around the name 'Uchiha brat,' she saw a glimpse of midnight blue hair round the corner, and remembered her past conversation with Sasuke._

 _Since Sasuke wouldn't divulge the juicy bits about his relationship with the Hyuuga (If ever there really is one), she might as well try to coax some information out of the unsuspecting girl herself._

 _She ran to catch up to her, and slightly pushed her forward in a jolly manner, one arm encircling the shy girl's shoulder._

" _Yo, Hinata-chan!" she grinned, and Hinata accidentally dropped her belongings on the floor, courtesy of being surprised and tackled in the empty corridor._

 _Both girls knelt on the floor, collecting various folders and notes, and Sakura reached out for the first folder her eyes had spotted._

" _I am so sorry about that," Sakura began to say, until she recognized the red and black folder in her hands. Not more than a second later, Hinata hastily took back the folder from Sakura's hands, eyes wide and alarmed._

" _U-uhm, I need to go. See you later, Sakura." She took to running, arms hugging everything she had dropped in a panic, while Sakura stared after the girl, wondering why, and most importantly, how was Hinata able to possess something Sasuke Uchiha had used so many times before to bribing her into doing him favors._

Her words were slurring, "Naruto, I have a secret to tell you."

They ended up at his apartment, and Naruto's head was swirling in a rush of confusion and bewilderment. He was just supposed to take her home, make up some half-assed excuse to her parents, and return _alone_ to his apartment. Somehow, somewhere along the way… things had gotten mixed up.

He stared down at her, and perhaps he too, was intoxicated; intoxicated by the very being of Sakura Haruno.

She stared back as he hovered over her in the plush, orange-covered bed, and Naruto couldn't recognize the boundaries of what was right or wrong any longer. "What secret?" He mumbled against her lipstick-smudged lips.

Sakura thought about the enigma that was Hinata Hyuuga. What she was about to do would surely tear the poor girl's heart in half. She stripped off his shirt, and marveled at his chiseled chest and tan skin. She started breathing heavily, her mind drifting back to the answer keys enclosed in that black and red folder. She thought she had Sasuke completely under her thumb; at least, she thought they shared something a little more special than their occasional fuck buddies. She might've even thought Sasuke cared for her in his own twisted way by always offering to leak her the answers to quizzes and exams.

But then _Hinata_ happened.

' _Why did he give it to her?'_

She pulled Naruto closer, legs wrapping around his waist, and her red, skimpy dress slit and ruined at the sides. She made up her mind; if this was how it was going to be, then fine. If the Hyuuga thought she could beat her at a game of her own expertise, then she thought wrong.

' _Payback's a bitch.'_

"Naruto…" her eyes filled with lust underneath the dim lighting of his apartment, "…I think I love you."

* * *

Hinata Hyuuga stared at the long trail of stark-white paper embedded at the school's main bulletin board, eyes shining wide in amazement and disbelief.

She stared for a good five minutes, before walking away with a dreamy smile – because _in the first time in the history of Konohagakure, she, Hinata Hyuuga, had managed to rank higher than Sakura Haruno._

Granted, the point difference between them was unnoticeable, it was still a feat in itself to rank higher, even if by just a single percent. Her smile only grew larger and she covered her reddening cheeks with her clipboard as people from her class stared at her while she walked by.

On the way to class, she crossed paths with Sakura herself, and Hinata's heartbeat sped up. The felt the sudden surge of excitement that came with proving something to everyone; that came with provoking the girl with bubblegum pink hair.

' _But what…'_

And then Sakura was smiling at her.

'… _what is this feeling?'_

"Naruto-kun…" Sakura spoke softly when they were both just within earshot of each other, and their eyes met. The feeling of dread suddenly overflowed when her smile widened, and Hinata lost her own.

"I had sex with him."

* * *

 _ **Part 2**_

She felt numb the entire time.

She felt numb when her handmaids dolled her up in a black, butterfly-embossed kimono. She felt numb as they tightened the blood-red obi around her slim waist and brought her sandals that would surely hurt her feet for the rest of the evening. She felt numb when Hanabi fixed her hair like she said she would, clipping strands of blue in a simple yet elegant bun. She felt numb when Neji escorted her to the venue, together with her father, who hasn't said a single word to her yet. She felt numb to the very core.

 _Half of the people I know are people I wish I've never met._

They had arrived just in time for the welcoming remarks from the host of the party, and her eyes glazed over the moment the banquet began.

She smiled her perfectly practiced smile, greeted and bowed to businessmen and women of the world of commerce and trade. Her stomach was in knots a few days ago just at the thought of this event. But know, she didn't mind playing out her plastic life in front of these strangers.

Maybe having her heart broken again and again was sometimes a good thing.

At the balcony above, dark eyes observed Hinata flit around from group to group, making small talk and laughing and smiling along with people down below. He kept her within his line of sight; she looked quite pretty tonight, he unconsciously thought.

"So we meet again, Hinata-san."

A voice laced with sarcasm and boredom filled her ears, and she turned around to meet with one of the many familiar faces in high-end functions such as this.

 _Nara Shikamaru._

In her entire lifetime, she had only encountered the boy twice. One, during her elementary days, when she actually had a thing for board games and was slightly good at it too, the Nara boy made her vow to herself to never again touch another piece of Shogi set for the duration of her life. Two, was at the social gathering a rough three or four years ago, when she had to reintroduce herself as the girl he had embarrassingly beaten at a national Shogi competition in their elementary days.

She held some sort of placid hate for him.

"I'm surprised you remembered me this time." She smiled, and he was a fool if he hadn't noticed the icy undertones beneath that sweet, innocent smile.

He hadn't known much about the girl. In fact, they were complete strangers; and he gathered his knowledge about her from their past rare encounters – he knew that one, she was extremely shy, and two, she stuttered a lot. But those things didn't manifest with the Hyuuga standing in front of him.

' _Interesting.'_

"How much have you changed since we last met?"

He offered her a shot of sake, testing out if the meek girl who blushed at the mere brush of a hand was still around. She generously accepted, much to his surprise.

"I'm not any better at Shogi if that's what you're asking." She joked, and he laughed along with her.

"Want to test that out?" he offered again. He wasn't usually this talkative; maybe the sake was starting to affect his senses.

She stared at him with the signature blank, lilac eyes of the Hyuuga family, and he thought she was starting to make up excuses to refuse – which was to be expected, in character, and definitely fine by him.

"Sure. When and where would you like that to be?"

* * *

She scanned the room – the Uchihas were nowhere in sight, which she gladly sighed in relief for.

But then again, she was reminded that nothing was supposed to go right in her life, when the wide doors opened to welcome the _really, kind of late_ arrival of two powerful families; the Uchiha clan, and the Yamanaka clan.

Much more to her dismay when she recognized the spiky, untamable raven hair amongst the group of latecomers.

' _I thought he had an older sibling? Where was his older sibling?'_

Across the room, their eyes met, but there was no form of acknowledgement from him, so she let him be. He glided around the room in perfect strides, with a certain Yamanaka girl draped on his arm.

' _Ino Yamanaka.'_ – if she recalled correctly.

Her mind once more, became preoccupied with Sakura; Sakura and her words, Sakura and what she said, Sakura and her lies. She hoped deep in her heart they were just lies.

* * *

The evening was just really starting, when he started to walk past her.

She kept him at her peripheral view, as she filled her plate subconsciously with all kinds of food on the table. He unexpectedly stopped beside her, filling his own plate, but still was silent.

She figured she had too much pride at the moment to be the first one to say 'hello,' so she didn't.

Her hand dropped to her side when she was done, but just before she could walk past and around him, his own hand slipped something onto her free hand. She enclosed the piece of paper around her small fist, glancing at him for a second to see if there was any sort of recognition this time, and walked away when there was none.

She put the chinaware filled with food down at a nearby table, and unrolled the small piece of paper. She smiled, this was the first time she had seen his handwriting, and her eyes followed him as he went out of the lively venue almost inconspicuously. She remembered the folder he had given to her the other day as she read the words etched on the paper once more.

' _Wanna ditch?'_

* * *

The couches were dark red in color.

Hinata Hyuuga was pinned down on the couch, _his_ couch – unresisting, unblinking blank lilac eyes staring up at deep onyx ones – and more than once, she swore they turned crimson. Her hair splayed around her in a pool of ink, the clips that once held her hair up missing, and the dark blue strands contrasting with milky white skin. He stared as her skin glistened with sweat, and it trickled slowly down her neck. She was blushing – she was always blushing, the red color adorning her cheeks in the most innocent way possible.

 _How wonderful it would be to destroy that innocence._

She gulped, and her moist, cherry-red lips attracted him like none had ever done before.

How she had ended up at his apartment, she didn't know. And she hadn't a single chance to bring up the folder he gave her, when she was pulled inside the lion's den.

His hand gently trudged up her right leg, sending shivers down her spine, before finally resting on her hip. Her hand reached up to touch his cheek, thumb idly tracing circles against his skin.

There were so many things to say. So many questions left unanswered. But she figured she would save that for later. Now… she just wanted to _feel_ something tangible; _something real_ in her life of lies and deception.

"You left your date." She said, referring to the blonde-haired Yamanaka girl.

"I don't care." He replied, almost quirkily.

"Did you have fun?" she asked.

He touched his forehead against hers, cool against feverish hot skin. "Did you?"

His hands travelled up her sides, gentle, unrushed, relaxing and comforting. Her kimono was loose and slightly open, the ends of it crumpled and bunched up high. The only thing that was keeping it attached to her body was the crimson obi, slightly tied around her waist.

"So who's your first kiss?" he asked, before suddenly biting her skin, not enough to draw blood, but she still gasped from the pain. Hinata's thoughts unintentionally drifted away towards sky blue eyes and honey blonde hair.

' _What would it be like to be touched by the one you love?'_

She had no idea either way. So she pretended. She closed her eyes shut and pretended that it was Naruto's hands touching her in the most intimate, delicious way she ever could've imagined. She pretended that his voice filled her ears, warm and gentle, instead of cool and sultry. She pretended it was his lips that kissed her flesh like ice and fire and everything good and bad mixed together, she pretended that it was _Naruto_ who made her moan, and suppress noises she didn't even know she could make.

She wrapped her arms around his head, further encouraging him to suck and bite at her neck, "You."

He lifted his head and raised a questioning brow at her. She opened her eyes and for a fraction of a second she honestly believed it was Naruto with her.

' _It's a lot easier to pretend. Pretend it's Naruto-kun. Imagine it's him.'_ And so she replied by simply looking away, closing her eyes shut once more. _'It's Naruto-kun I'm with. Just Naruto-kun.'_

He chuckled, deep and throaty, "Why do you keep looking away?"

' _Pretend. Pretend. Pretend.'_ She repeated in her mind like a broken record, once more recalling his voice, his face, blue eyes and soft blonde hair.

He noticed her mind was somewhere else; he noticed how tense she was, how hard she was trying to distract herself. Had he somehow done something wrong?

"Who are you thinking of?" he mumbled against her long dark hair.

' _Naruto-kun. Only Naruto-kun.'_

No response. Two fingers under her chin brought her to face forward, but she still refused to open her eyes. He didn't quite understand her – but all he wanted at the moment was to take away her confusion, her distress, her problems.

She replayed a memory in her mind, _"Naruto-kun… I had sex with him."_

"Do you want me to make you forget?" he suddenly said, eyes glancing down at her lips, before drawing them up to her eyes, which immediately snapped open at his question. And in a heartbeat all her thoughts about Naruto and Sakura was forgotten; replaced with black hair, unreadable eyes, cool, expressionless voice, and pale skin. The very features of Uchiha Sasuke was etched on her mind with ease, and she felt frustrated with herself. But what he said…

' _That isn't such a bad deal… right?'_

She exhaled with a breathy "Can you?"

That was all he needed. He testily planted a peck on her lips; she didn't draw back, her lids remained half-open, and her hand was tightly gripping his collar, until he added a second kiss, then a third, and on the fourth he finally, still very lightly locked his lips with hers.

' _So this is what a real kiss feels like.'_

Her eyes closed of their own accord; she didn't know who deepened the kiss, but now the hand gripping his collar moved to settle on his hair, pulling and threading through his locks.

Her emotions were in tumult. She felt exhilarated and breathless and sad and excited all at the same time. She tasted the bitter alcohol on his tongue, as he bit her lower lip and teased her until her insides were all turned to jelly.

"Will you stay the night?" he mumbled in between kisses, and then she realized how empty she was. How vacant her life had truly been. All the emotions and sinful things he was making her feel and think was _so_ addictive, it filled her to her very core.

' _Is this what Sakura was talking about?'_

She never wanted this to stop.

"Koneko-chan," he whispered with labored breathing, and stared at her, "You're crying again."

He sat up, and helped her up too, "Am I? I'm s-sorry." And as she hastily wiped her tears away with the sleeves of her now-ruined black kimono, the front part exposing a bit of pink and purple lace, hair disheveled and ruffled, he realized how hard he was holding himself back.

He sighed, running a frustrated hand through his hair, and stared at her. "You realize how difficult you're making this for me?"

"Eh?"

' _The girl. Has. No. Fucking. Clue.'_

He fully untied her obi; she curiously watched as he ran a tongue across his bottom lip, and her heartbeat sped up in anticipation when she thought he would kiss her again, until he started fixing her kimono and retying the dark red cloth around her waist.

"W-why are you stopping?" she was half-mortified at her question and blushed a deeper shade of red as he combed his fingers through her hair in a poor attempt to fix her up.

He took another swig of bitter alcohol at the glass table, feeling the burning sensation wash down his throat, then glanced at her. The color of Hinata's eyes, once sparkling with mild ecstasy, faded dull. He brushed back her fringe, locking eyes with her as he did so, and kissed her on the forehead.

The empty feeling was back again.

"I told you we'd go slow, didn't I?"

* * *

 _ **A/N: I think the inspiration's back :D this fic would most likely end up to fifteen chapters or so, if I'd estimate correctly. :)**_

 _ **All reviews, comments, suggestions, and insights are dearly appreciated~**_


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